(a) The regulations in this part implement the goals of Executive Orders 11990, Protection of Wetlands, and 11988, Floodplain Management, and are adopted pursuant to the Postal Reorganization Act, as the Postal Service does not meet the definition of the term “agency” used in the Executive Orders.

(b) The Postal Service intends to exercise leadership in the acquisition and management of real property, construction of facilities, and disposal of real property, located in floodplains and wetlands. Consistent with the goals of the Executive Orders, the regulations in this part are not intended to prohibit floodplain and wetland development in all circumstances, but rather to create a consistent policy to minimize adverse impacts.

The appropriate Manager, Facilities Service Office, or functional equivalent within the Postal Service's facilities organization, in conjunction with the appropriate Vice President, Area Operations, or functional equivalent within the Postal Service's operations organization, are responsible for overall compliance with the regulations in this part pertaining to facilities projects. The Vice President, Area Operations, is responsible for compliance with these regulations for those projects within the Vice President's delegated authority.

Construction means construction, alterations, renovations, and expansions of buildings, structures and improvements.

Contending site means a site or existing building for a proposed postal facility action, which meets the requirements of the Postal Service as determined by the operations organization.

Facility means any building, appurtenant structures, or associated infrastructure.

Floodplain means the lowland and relatively flat areas adjoining inland and coastal waters including flood-prone areas of offshore islands, including, at a minimum, that area subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year (also known as a 100-year floodplain).

Practicable means capable of being accomplished within existing constraints. The test of what is practicable depends on the situation and includes consideration of many factors, such as environment, cost, technology, implementation time, and postal operational needs.

Preferred area means the specific geographical area proposed for a new postal facility, as developed by the operations organization within the Postal Service. A preferred area's boundaries are unique for each proposed facility based on the operational and customer service needs of the Postal Service.

Preferred site means the most advantageous site for a proposed facility, taking into consideration postal operational and customer service needs, cost, and availability, as determined by the operations organization within the Postal Service.

Wetlands means those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.